Later is now, again.

I have wanted to paint with gouache since I first noticed it at an exhibition in college. Silty, fluid, creamy, it seemed like a good way to enhance my drawings. I start all of my paintings with exact charcoal drawings, and there's always a little part of me that doesn't want to paint over them. With gouache I hoped I could maintain the draughtsmanship of my work. Today I did my first gouache painting. It's gallery 271 at the Art Institute with my favorite sculpture, Woman(Elevation) (1927) by Gaston Lachaise, front and center. I have only five colors, and I was nervous about mixing others, and I didn't end up making many. The drawing is driven by the silhouette of Woman. I love silhouettes because of the stark contrast of dark and light as well as the focus on line. I tried adding the chevron floor pattern to see if I could and also because I couldn't get shading right. The pattern is a diversion, and it's the wrong direction. Oops.

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Later is what?

After settling into various desk jobs, I always said I'd get back to painting later in life, and later is now. Again means that I tried once before. I decided to write about my painting endeavor, too, as a learning tool, an accountability tool, and to stay sharp in case I have to go back to a desk job. Again.

In front of a mural of a Tim Rietenbach painting in Columbus, Ohio

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